Communication services such as telephone, cable television, and Internet access are generally considered essential in personal and business life, and accordingly have become universally available in most homes, offices, and other locations in the community. These communication services generally involve one or two-way transmission of a communication signal between a central location, a number of sub-distribution points, and end users. In most cases the final connection between the last local distribution point and the end user is delivered through some sort of physical link such as a wire pair, co-axial cable, or fiber optic cable.
In this arrangement, certain equipment is generally needed at the last local distribution point to serve a group of end users. In dense urban areas many locations are conveniently available to accommodate this equipment. However, in less densely populated areas where end users are spread out, such as suburban subdivisions, there is often no convenient, secure, and sheltered place to install the local distribution equipment. Accordingly the various utilities will often construct free-standing enclosures, known as service panels or pedestals, that are dedicated to house this type of equipment.
Typically, the telephone and cable TV utility providers each independently construct and maintain their own separate pedestals. Depending on the layout of the subdivision, the pedestals may be located on the strip of land between the sidewalk and the road, or alternatively on the edge of user's front lawns, approximately every 3 to 4 lots. The pedestals come in a variety of sizes depending on the amount of equipment being stored, with the smaller pedestals being generally several feet high and under a foot wide. They are often constructed from a metal such as aluminium, or from plastic. Since they are outdoors and free-standing they are accessible to service personnel at any time of the day or night.
The service pedestals however are generally unsightly, being rectangular industrial boxes that clash with the neighborhood aesthetic or front yard landscape. Also, since the boxes are placed by the utilities with only ease of service in mind, they are visually uncoordinated, which exacerbates their unattractive appearance. Further, when installed on private land they deny the land owner use of the space occupied by and in the immediate vicinity of the pedestal. They can be hazardous to children, pets, or others who walk into them without looking, and can hinder recreational or sporting use of the lawn. Lawn maintenance activities such as grass cutting are also clearly obstructed by the pedestals. Yet another problem is that in new subdivisions the pedestals are usually installed before the adjacent house is constructed. As a result, they are occasionally inadvertently destroyed by bulldozers or other construction equipment, necessitating expensive and inconvenient repair or reconstruction.
To the utilities involved, there is an ongoing expense to keep track of and manage access to the many pedestals. Maintenance is also an issue that requires attention, particularly when pedestals are damaged by vehicle collision or vandalism. Further, in some communities in winter, the pedestals with their low profile can be difficult to locate.
An alternate approach involves housing the local communication equipment in “flush to grade” boxes located under the ground. However, this approach creates other problems. For example, water from rain and melting snow can easily seep into the underground boxes, which can damage the equipment. The boxes can be very difficult to locate in winter conditions of ice and snow. Further, even when the boxes are located, the equipment is generally difficult to access since it is below ground.
For these reasons lawn pedestals generally remain the preferred approach. However, in the absence of an effective alternative, the unattractive appearance, inconvenience, safety hazards, and costs associated with lawn pedestals will continue to be a problem.